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A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

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Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#11

Post by cameronbrown »

pm24601 wrote: post #3

Poor, Poor Amazon. Amazon is run by the richest person in the entire world who will come to the oligarch's aid? Amazon paid NO income taxes last year. I am against Amazon for that reason alone.

Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law.

Fixating on massive corporations not paying tax is actually making the problem worse, because it takes attention away from the only thing that can fix the problem which is changing the law. Anything less is just asking companies to hurt themselves for no reason.

Just like how most people would pay lower taxes if it was legal, the same goes for companies. That's not saying I don't completely agree they need to pay their fair share - I do!

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#13

Post by benologist »

I think the takeaway is companies should compete on ethics but be transparent about it. If corporations openly call out each other's malignant actions that's a huge win for us all in holding them to a higher standard.

I don't believe the "poor Amazon" angle for a moment though. A lot of the "campaign" against Amazon takes place in EU courtrooms where no rival company is focusing our attention on their transgressions. A lot of stuff Amazon chooses to do is morally unjust and should be illegal - they choose to include bathroom break time with productivity calculations that determines who gets fired. Bezoz just clawed back 1900 workers' healthcare to indistinguishably enrich himself.

France fined them for abusing vendors -

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/04/france-fines-ama...

EU is investigating them to see if they abuse vendors with the vendors' own sales data -

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/19/eu-probing-amazons-use-of-da...

Reversing corrupt tax deals -

https://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/amazon-apple-tax-...

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#14

Post by evan_ »

cameronbrown wrote: post #11
pm24601 wrote: post #3

Poor, Poor Amazon. Amazon is run by the richest person in the entire world who will come to the oligarch's aid? Amazon paid NO income taxes last year. I am against Amazon for that reason alone.

Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law. Fixating on massive corporations not paying tax is actually making the problem worse, because it takes attention away from the only thing that can fix the problem which is changing the law . Anything less is just asking companies to hurt themselves for no reason. Just like how most people would pay lower taxes if it was legal, the same goes for c…

> Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law.

You can do both. In many if not all cases the tax loopholes are a result of an amazon-like company lobbying politicians, they’re not innocently taking advantage of a neutral situation.

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#15

Post by opportune »

It’s funny because the whole “Amazon ambassador” thing is just Amazon doing the same thing in reverse.

What I hate most about the 21st century is how almost nothing feels genuine anymore. The news, any sort of campaign, even “science” in a lot of cases are just people using money to tell us what to think. Maybe it’s been like this for decades and we’re just now waking up to it, but regardless it just makes it all feel hollow

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#16

Post by cameronbrown »

evan_ wrote: post #14
cameronbrown wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law. Fixating on massive corporations not paying tax is actually making the problem worse, because it takes attention away from the only thing that can fix the problem which is changing the law . Anything less is just asking companies to hurt themselves for no reason. Just like how most people would pay lower taxes if it was legal, the same goes for c…

> Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law. You can do both. In many if not all cases the tax loopholes are a result of an amazon-like company lobbying politicians, they’re not innocently taking advantage of a neutral situation.

Doing both is a waste of time and mental energy, neither of which are infinite. Amazon will not change if the law doesn't.

Pick your battles.

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#17

Post by deogeo »

cameronbrown wrote: post #11
pm24601 wrote: post #3

Poor, Poor Amazon. Amazon is run by the richest person in the entire world who will come to the oligarch's aid? Amazon paid NO income taxes last year. I am against Amazon for that reason alone.

Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law. Fixating on massive corporations not paying tax is actually making the problem worse, because it takes attention away from the only thing that can fix the problem which is changing the law . Anything less is just asking companies to hurt themselves for no reason. Just like how most people would pay lower taxes if it was legal, the same goes for c…

Absolutely the campaign should be to change the law, but if you're looking to also assign blame, massive corporations had a hand in writing the tax code.

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#18

Post by wongarsu »

"Campaign against Amazon funded by those that are against Amazon" might be burying the lede.

Far more interesting imho:

>The grass-roots support cited by the group was also not what it appeared to be. The labor union says it was listed as a member of the group without permission and says a document purporting to show that it gave permission has a forged signature. The Boston professor says the group, with his permission, ghost-wrote an op-ed for him about Amazon but that he didn’t know he would be named as a member. The California businessman was dead for months before his name was removed from the group’s website this year.

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#19

Post by fuzz4lyfe »

deogeo wrote: post #17
cameronbrown wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't be angry at Amazon (and the others) - campaign to change the law. Fixating on massive corporations not paying tax is actually making the problem worse, because it takes attention away from the only thing that can fix the problem which is changing the law . Anything less is just asking companies to hurt themselves for no reason. Just like how most people would pay lower taxes if it was legal, the same goes for c…

Absolutely the campaign should be to change the law, but if you're looking to also assign blame, massive corporations had a hand in writing the tax code.

Those poor politicians, we can't expect them to read laws before voting on them. They must of gotten confused because they have so many checks to cash and speaking gigs to preform.

Re: A ‘Grass-Roots’ Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded By Its Biggest Rivals

#20

Post by saagarjha »

fuzz4lyfe wrote: post #19
deogeo wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely the campaign should be to change the law, but if you're looking to also assign blame, massive corporations had a hand in writing the tax code.

Those poor politicians, we can't expect them to read laws before voting on them. They must of gotten confused because they have so many checks to cash and speaking gigs to preform.

You're being sarcastic, but most laws are massive and legislators don't read them before voting on them. They depend on aides and lobbyists to figure out what bills mean.
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